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Monday, 24 August 2015

I've had these guys finished for a few weeks, but only just got around to taking pictures this weekend. A couple of odd models which needed paint - and and I was only too happy to oblige.

First up, we have an FA15 (P3) Dwarf w/ two handed Hammer from the earliest Citadel/Ral Partha ranges - as featured in the 1980 Red Catalogue (click here for info from stunties.com). As far as Citadel Miniatures goes, this is about as old as it is possible to get!

FA15 (P3) Dwarf w/ two handed Hammer - front view

FA15 (P3) Dwarf w/ two handed Hammer

FA15 Dwarf with hammer - Side View

FA15 Dwarf with hammer - Back View

FA15 Dwarf with hammer - 3/4 View

He's not a particularly rare guy, but it is rare to see these old minis painted up, so I find it fun to see how well I can get them painted up. I just went for a 'quick-but-effective' look with him, and I think I've achieved that here.

Next up is a Gnome Assassin - again this one is an oldie - it's from the Fiend Factory series of the early 80s.

FF71 Gnome Assassin - Front View

FF71 Gnome Assassin - Rear View

This one is going to become a character for dungeon crawls. I intend to write up some rules for using him in Warhammer Quest shortly. I've already written up a Gnome Wizard for WHQ, so those will serve as a base (with bits inspired by the Dwarf and Halfling rules.

No progress with the Bob Olley Squats or the Rogue Trader Orks yet, but hopefully I'll get back on track this week. See you soon!

Wednesday, 19 August 2015

And here he is - all finished. I have mounted him on a hardboard base and built it up slightly with stones and a flocking gel. I attempted to create the effect of a lake of blood or fire with layers of epoxy, but it didn't quite work out. Therefore I've gone for plain black to create the image of a pathway along a chasm (as per the climactic scene between the Fellowship and the Balrog in the underground halls of the dwarves). I will probably come back to it later to work up a better effect.

For now, please enjoy the pics!

BME3 Balrog - 3/4 face shot - looking fierce!

Balrog - face to face view

BME-3 Balrog for LotR

BME-3 Balrog for LotR - Side View

Balrog - Top View of head, horns, wings

Balrog charging. Hint- RUN!

Hopefully this fella is going to see some action as a Bloodthirster stand-in in Warhammer Quest one day soon. Maybe the mighty Halfling Kettle Knight (a WHQ character of my own creation) can stand off against him?

The Halfling Kettle Knight - a noble and mighty character

Citadel have a couple of these armoured figures in their old C Series range from the 80s. They were just begging to be given a write-up for dungeon crawl games. The Halfling Kettle Knight dreams of adventures, fine steeds, and ultimately winning the heart of a fair halfling princess (if he can find one). He essentially has all the noble attitudes, fearlessness, and fine tastes of a knight, unfortunately coupled with the endless eating of a halfling and an almost total lack of combat effectiveness. He should be a fine addition to any party. [Rules coming soon].

Also in the pipeline are 40K Rogue Trader Orks, Iron Claw Squats, and Hasslefree Grymn. So I'd better get busy.

Monday, 10 August 2015

Hi folks!
I just thought I would share a few quick pics from my workbench today. We have a motley assortment here ready for painting, with a mix of commission work and personal projects.
First up, we have some Warhammer 40K / Rogue Trader stuff - some nice recent finds - an Ork Warboss in Power Armour and a Space Ork Champion, to go with my existing small collection of Space Ork Raiders - these guys are going to have a nice orky bright red/black/jungle green colour scheme I think.

Space Ork Warboss in Power Armour and Champion

And to oppose them, some Iron Claw Squats. These were originally sculpted by the famous and prolific Bob Olley, and I love them to bits. They are going to get a black and yellow scheme - I'm sort of going for a near-future, urban/tech/engineering vibe as per the old background.

Iron Claw Squats for WH40K

Squat Commander - the head honcho

I also have a few sci-fi figures from Hasslefree Miniatures (the company set up by Kev Adams, the ex-GW and Foundry artist and sculptor), and these include a lovely Power-Armoured Libby and Kayla, a female Grymn (a 'not' space dwarf). I realy like the Kayla sculpt, but sadly the aesthetics of the two styles of sculpting really won't fit together in the same army. But I'm going to use the black and yellow theme here too, regardless of that.

Power Armoured Libby

Kayla - Grymn (not space dwarf)

Next up, some lovely Perry Miniatures Napoleonic Cuirassiers, these are great sculpts and I'm very much looking forward to getting them painted.

Perry Napoleonic French Cuirassiers - Group Shot

Perry Miniatures Napoleonic French Cuirassiers - Close Up

And finally, some beautiful Eureka Miniatures Samurai, which arrived the other day. These are for a commission, and I'm very much looking forward to painting them. the figures are beautiful, and my quick pics don't do them justice. In fact, I may run a short review of them later in the week, so stay tuned.

Eureka Samurai 15mm - Ashigaru Archers

Eureka Samurai 15mm - Samurai Warlords

Eureka Samurai 15mm - Mounted Samurai

Well that's the state of play for now, I'll update you all later this week.

Monday, 3 August 2015

Hi guys. I have something pretty special on the go right now - a 1980s Citadel Miniatures Balrog. Anyway, the BME3 Balrog boxed set seems to be a bit of a rarity, and not really a 'known' set. I've only ever seen it advertised in one half-page White Dwarf ad, so that might have something to do with it. The set includes the complete Balrog, along with specially sculpted Gandalf, Aragorn, and Legolas sculpts, which are unique to the box.

You can see the complete set contents over at Solegends and the Collecting Citadel Miniatures Wiki. I believe it must be pretty rare, as I've only ever seen pictures of 2 on the internet (one of which was the studio model!). To the best of my knowledge, the sculpt was by Nick Bibby, the sculptor of the famous Great Spined Dragon. He sculpts bronzes nowadays, including animals and statues (link here). It reminds me of an old painting by William Blake, and I wonder if that's where part of the inspiration for the model came from.

BME3 Balrog: Encounter at Khazad Dum WIP

Anyway, on to my attempt at painting the beast. It is a lovely model with a great dynamic pose, and a FIERCE face. The model is WIP at the moment, but I've attempted to roughly match the colours from the box art - though I've gone for a lighter, more yellow colour for the weapons, horns, and 'hair'. I've used layers of yellows, reds, and oranges, along with bronze and gold, to try and create a sort of unnatural, burning look. Seeing as the Balrog is a sort of spirit / demon in the book, I've had a bit of fun with it.

Once he's done, my plan is to use him probably use him as a Bloodthirster in Warhammer Quest, but then again I might get hold of a copy of MERP and give it a shot.

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About Me

Hi, my name is Rob and I am a huge wargaming enthusiast and I have spent over 20 years involved with the hobby. I collect a variety of figures but mostly old-school 80s and early 90s Citadel / Warhammer fantasy and Grenadier, and 15mm historical (ancients to 17th century).

The aim of this site is to share my hobby with you, show new projects and WIP stuff, and share links, etc to other inspirational and great sites. So if you like wargames, toy soldiers, fantasy and sci-fi, etc, then please stick around for some fun.

I am also in the process of setting up a web shop at www.robsfigures.com, where I will be selling preowned and OOP miniatures (for sane prices!), along with painting services and other wargames products.